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Anybody here bother with dot matrix printers?

There was a freecycle post a few days ago about misc old computer junk. I snagged an old AT keyboard, some DOS 6 disks and manuals, and an Epson LQ570+ 24 pin dot matrix. Not sure why I grabbed the printer other then curiosity (it did have the manual and a new ribbon in the box). He also had a Laserjet II but I passed on another boat anrchor.

Back in the day I jumped from a 9 pin dot matrix and went to a laser, so I avoided the 24 pin era printers. I do have some C64 printers and a dot matrix for my IIgs collection.

Anybody else keep one around? I do have a few stacks of fanfold paper.

I've still got a few; OKI, Citizen, Epson, R-S and of course Panasonic and clones, as well as a fast CItoh and some DEC LA-100s. Also a few boxes of fan-fold paper that I'll never use up.

My main workhorse printers are lasers of course, but for infrequent use like printing disk directories etc. on my CP/M and Commodore systems dot matrix line printers are the answer since the inkjets have dried up in the meantime; you also don't see many wide-carriage lasers or inkjets.

I had a wide carrage inkjet, was a piece of junk (canon I think bj5000 or something like that).

Same here, although mine was an Epson; pity, nice for printing schematics.

Most older machines can interface with laser printers in epson mode (kept my original Epson Actionlaser 1500 for that purpose after I upgraded to newer models).

As long as the laser (or inkjet for that matter) has a parallel or RS-232 interface and is smart enough to actually know how to print a character
And sometimes it's nice to be able to print (and see) one line at a time instead of having to print the whole page.

For once in a long time printing on vintage machines a dot matrix printer with a ribbon will be more reliable then any inkjet that sits around.

Heck yeah, I have a few around for general printing purposes and also because they're the only ones that I can easily get to work with a Tandy/Atari/Commodore/Texas Instruments when I want to make them print anything.

I love dot matrix. I've been using the 1012 but stopped recently because I found the type too light. I've got a bunch of old unused ribbons, but I think I really should buy a new one or rejuvenate a stored one.

The Roland 1012 of course is a classic and also takes the same ribbon as the 1215 and the Raven and very many other printers. It has the advantage of small size, but other than that I do prefer the 1215 which is my all time favourite and I actually have two of those. The only problem is the space it takes. Actually that's a problem with all dot matrix machines, unless you have some handy arrangement for for the paper. Speaking of which, I find the thrift shop often has some and now I've got a good supply.

I haven't tried the Raven yet, but I'm familiar with it from the old days. It is 24 pin and the output looks pretty good. It was at the dump the other day and I couldn't resist.

Regarding dot matrix in general, it's interesting to see how many are still available. I see Staples has a whole line in stock. The prices are a shocker though. Even the small ones are worth good bucks. Like Chuck says, it's the commercial, and particular multipart forms, use that keeps them alive.

I've just got one. A Panasonic KX-P1080, an Epson FX-80-compatible that was a hot seller here in NZ around the mid-80s. It can be seen attached to my Atari 130XE here.

Unless I'm given another one, it's probably the only printer I'll get. I just wanted an example of a typical dot-matrix printer for the collection. Lack of room restricts anything else.

My first printer was a C-Itoh. I can't remember the model but it was the the same one as seen in this advertisement. Man that thing was a BEAST! The whole desk shook when it sprang it action. It woke the whole house up too. If I saw one of these for sale, nostalgia would probably nudge me to get it.

Incidently, the advertisement alludes to my first computer system. A System 80, with that exact screen (modified TV) and particular printer. The only thing missing was Dick Smith himself! That plus the fact that my storage option was Stringy Floppy rather than the built-in cassette.